The invention relates to television entertainment systems for providing television programming to consumer homes. More particularly, the invention relates to a set top terminal for use with a program delivery system with menu selection of programs.
Advances in television entertainment have been primarily driven by breakthroughs in technology. In 1939, advances on Vladmir Zworykin""s picture tube provided the stimulus for NBC to begin its first regular broadcasts. In 1975, advances in satellite technology provided consumers with increased programming to homes.
Many of these technology breakthroughs have produced inconvenient systems for consumers. One example is the ubiquitous three remote control home, having a separate and unique remote control for the TV, cable box and VCR. More recently, technology has provided cable users in certain parts of the country with 100 channels of programming. This increased program capacity is beyond the ability of many consumers to use effectively. No method of managing the program choices has been provided to consumers.
Consumers are demanding that future advances in television entertainment, particularly programs and program choices, be presented to the consumer in a user friendly manner. Consumer preferences, instead of technological breakthroughs, will drive the television entertainment market for at least the next 20 years. As computer vendors have experienced a switch from marketing new technology in computer hardware to marketing better usability, interfaces and service, the television entertainment industry will also experience a switch from new technology driving the market to consumer usability driving the market.
Consumers want products incorporating new technology that are useful, and will no longer purchase new technology for the sake of novelty or status. Technological advances in sophisticated hardware are beginning to surpass the capability of the average consumer to use the new technology. Careful engineering must be done to make entertainment products incorporating new technology useful and desired by consumers.
In order for new television entertainment products to be successful, the products must satisfy consumer demands. TV consumers wish to go from limited viewing choices to a variety of choices, from no control of programming to complete control. Consumers wish to advance from cumbersome and inconvenient television to easy and convenient television and keep costs down. Consumers do not wish to pay for one hundred channels when due to lack of programming information, they seldom, if ever, watch programming on many of these channels.
The concepts of interactive television, high definition television and 300 channel cable systems in consumer homes will not sell if they are not packaged, delivered and presented in a useable fashion to consumers. The problem is that TV programming is not being delivered and presented to consumers in a user friendly manner.
Consumers are already being bombarded with programming options, numerous xe2x80x9cfreexe2x80x9d cable channels, subscription cable channels and pay-per-view choices. Any further increase in TV entertainment choices, without a user friendly presentation and approach, will likely bewilder viewers with a mind-numbing array of choices.
The TV industry has traditionally marketed and sold its programs to consumers in bulk, such as continuous feed broadcast and long-term subscriptions to movie channels. The TV industry has been unable to sell its programming in large quantities on a per unit basis, such as the ordering of one program. Consumers prefer a unit sales approach because it keeps costs down and allows the consumer to be more selective in their viewing.
In addition, viewership fragmentation, which has already begun, will increase. Programming not presented in a user friendly manner will suffer with a decrease in viewership and revenue.
The present invention is a set top converter box or terminal for a television program delivery system. More specifically, the present invention is an advanced set top converter box that acts as a terminal in the viewer home. The set top terminal provides for menu generation and menu selection of television programming.
The set top terminal is the portion of the program delivery system that resides in the home of a subscriber. The set top terminal has input ports that enable it to communicate with remote devices. In an embodiment, the set top terminal has an input port that is capable of receiving information from a cable headend. In addition, the unit may have two output ports which provide communications from the set top terminal to a television, VCR or other electronic component in the viewer home. Also, the set top terminal may contain a phone jack which can be used for maintenance, trouble shooting, reprogramming and additional customer features. The set top terminal may contain stereo/audio output terminals and a satellite dish input port.
Functionally, the set top terminal is the last component in the delivery system chain. The set top terminal receives compressed program and control signals from the cable headend (or, in some cases, directly from the operations center). After the set top terminal receives the individually compressed program and control signals, the signals are demultiplexed, decompressed, converted to analog signals (if necessary) and either placed in local storage (from which the menu template may be created), executed immediately, or sent directly to the television screen.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description, the attached drawings and appended claims.